Thereafter
by Ajerzaaddict
Summary: Oneshots written for the Jerza Week 2018 on Tumblr.
1. June 5 - Colours

_Day 1 - Colours_

Erza picked up the shirt - Jellal's shirt - from the floor, and put it on. The sundress she wore last night had gone to her requip space. She could change into it again in a second, of course, but Jellal's shirt _felt_ comfortable to be dressed in. And it smelled nice, too.

She walked to the windows and pulled open the curtains. She couldn't help a relieved sigh when seeing that the rain that had been falling since day one of her honeymoon vacation, had finally stopped. Although the sky was still a little bit cloudy, it would not stop her from spending the day at the beach at last. She couldn't wait to put on her new swimsuit - a tailor-made one that she specially ordered from Heart Kruz for her honeymoon, once Jellal and she had decided to pick Caelum's famous tropical island as their destination.

The sound of the bed sheet ruffling drew Erza's attention away from planning the activities of the day, and told her that Jellal had probably woken up. She didn't turn around to watch him. After several moments, she heard him yearning and the sound of his bare foot touching the wooden floor.

"Good morning, Erza."

Upon hearing his greeting, Erza finally turned to meet Jellal with a bright smile.

"Good morning, Jellal."

Jellal grinned. Erza watched him standing up and getting into the briefs left on the floor last night, before approaching her. She turned to look outside the window again and felt his pair of strong arms wounded around her waist.

"You are up early today." Jellal spoke softly against Erza's ear, before giving her a kiss on her cheekbone.

"Only a little bit earlier than you." Erza chuckled. "The sunlight that was missing in the past few days has called out to me this morning."

"I see."

Jellal gathered Erza's hair to the side with one hand, and began leaving kisses along her exposed neckline. Erza closed her eyes and relaxed against Jellal, relishing in the gentle touch of his lips against her skin. He left one last kiss at where her neck and shoulder met, when further advancement was not possible without pulling down his shirt from her shoulder, and raised his head.

"Look, Erza!"

Erza opened her eyes. The view outside the window had changed and she gasped in delight.

"A rainbow!"

From the left side of the resort, the colourful arch began from the surface of the deep blue sea, extended towards and across the pale white sky and ended at the greenish hillside at the other side of the establishment.

"This is beautiful." Erza whispered, and heard Jellal hummed lowly in response.

"And this is the first time for us to witness a rainbow together." His body warmth was sipping to her through his t-shirt as he pulled her closer to him.

"It is." She smiled, and raised her head to the side to give Jellal a peck on his lips. "And I don't think I have seen a rainbow as bright as this one before. It's like…...each of its colours is competing to stand out from the others."

"So, which one is your favorite?"

Erza turned around in Jellal's hold and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her gaze landed on his hair while her fingers played with its' end, like she was thinking deeply about the question. When her eyes found Jellal's, they were sparkling with certain desire and her face was dusted with a light blush.

"I like purple the most."

"I see." Jellal chuckled and Erza could actually feel the vibration of his chest through their touching bodies. "The colour that is a mixture of red and blue, huh? I like it too."

"I have dreamed of…" The shade of pink on Erza's cheeks turned darker. "Giving birth to purple haired babies. They were so adorable."

"They must be. But I'm afraid it's not how genes work on hair colour." Jellal laughed softly, and swirled a few of Erza's tresses between his fingers. "And while purple hair is nice, I would prefer our children to inherit your hair color."

"I don't mind if they have your hair colour instead. You have gorgeous blue hair, haven't I told you before?"

"Yes, you have." Smiling, Jellal looked into Erza's eyes with an intense gaze that spoke of love and gratefulness, before leaning forward to press his lips on Erza's. He deepened the kiss with his tongue sliding inside her mouth when Erza weaved her fingers into his hair. They unwillingly broke apart when feeling short of breath.

Having found his breath after a moment, Jellal kissed Erza's lips one more time, before whispering a question into her ear. When Erza nodded, he picked her up from the floor and moved to the bed.

There was only one way to find out which of their hair colour was the one preferred by their children.


	2. June 7 - Hairbrush

_Day 3 - Hairbrush_

Irene picked up a few of Erza's tresses, sprayed the beauty hair essence on them before brushing them gently but thoroughly with intense focus and caring. When she was certain that she had gotten rid of every one of the hair knots and that every strand was smooth to the touch, she picked up another few tresses and repeated the work.

Jellal could relate to the admiration he saw in Irene's eyes while she did Erza's hair. He didn't even need to look at his reflection in a mirror to know that he must have the similar look in his eyes when he touched Erza's hair. But the prideful look on Irene's face…...it was an expression Jellal knew to be unique to a parent when they looked at their beloved child. And given Erza's accomplishments as a mage, her outer but also inner beauties, Irene certainly had every right to take pride in who her daughter had become - even she had been absent from Erza's life until two years ago.

While Irene looked like quite enjoying her time in brushing Erza's hair, Erza looked a little bit tensed judging from her stiff shoulders; although there was a small smile on her lips. She had glanced at him through the mirror in front of her for a few times, and Jellal had done his best to comfort her with a smile even though he also felt slightly nervous deep inside. But who could blame them for how they felt? They were to get marry tomorrow, and was undergoing the pre-wedding hairbrush ritual that was a family tradition according to Irene.

" _You look gorgeous in this wedding dress, Erza." Smiling proudly, Irene fixed the veil on Erza's head, before glancing at Jellal. "Isn't she, Jellal?"_

" _She is." Jellal smiled affectionately at Erza. She had always looked beautiful to him, even when she was a dirty child slave. But she really took his breath away with her beauty and brightness the moment she stepped out from the changing room, dressing in the wedding dress tailor-made for her by her most trusted designer of Heart Kruz. Jellal couldn't imagine how he would react seeing her in front of the altar on their wedding day when her bridal look would be completed with makeup and hairdo and other accessories._

" _Thanks." Erza muttered with a blush forming on her face. "And you look handsome too in the tuxedo, Jellal."_

" _It's a relief to know." Jellal took a step closer to Erza and held one of her hands in his. "Because I really hope to look at my best to not disgrace your beauty when I stand beside you on our wedding."_

 _Erza furrowed her brows. "You are never a disgrace to me in any aspect."_

" _Sorry. I know." Jellal would have kissed Erza to sooth her if Irene wasn't with them. Instead he only gave her hand an assuring squeeze. He then turned to Irene who had been watching his exchange with Erza with a smirk. "Ms Belserion. How was your discussion with the designer going?"_

" _It went perfectly." Irene looked back at Erza after answering Jellal's question. "Thanks for introducing your designer to me. It's a great help."_

" _Don't mention it, mother. I'm happy to."_

 _Smiling graciously, Irene stroked Erza's hair with loving touches while lowering her gaze from her face. "Erza. You and Jellal never needed my permission to get marry. But you asked me for it anyway. And you invited me to be the one to walk you down the aisle, and I didn't have the heart to decline your invitation even I don't feel that I deserve such a place at your side. I should be satisfied with everything you so willingly offered me and shouldn't ask for more. But there's still one thing that I hope I can do for you."_

 _Jellal watched Erza drawing in a deep breath and felt her tightening her hold on his hand to keep her emotions at bay, before she spoke. "Although we only get to know each other in the past two years, I treasure our relationship, mother, and want to have your presence in the important moments of my life from now on. Please do tell me what you would like to do for me."_

" _It's some family tradition thing. Something parent do before their child get marry." Irene raised her head and met Erza's eyes. "Can I comb your hair on the night before your wedding, and have Jellal being there too?"_

It was one of the very few requests Irene had made since she came back to life the same way as Makarov did after the war between Fairy Tail and the Alvarez Empire, and had the curse lifted up from her.

Despite having offered her apologies to her daughter for everything she did to her personally and during the war, Irene hadn't tried to ask Erza for her forgiveness. And neither did she ask Erza for the opportunity in compensating her by filling the vacant place of mother in her life; although it wasn't difficult to tell that she had such desire when she recounted her struggles and pain in abandoning baby Erza. She chose to keep a distance between herself and Erza, settling down at a small town near Magnolia. Jellal thought he could understand Irene's thoughts.

Erza, too, understood. Yet, it didn't mean that she found it necessary for Irene to stay away from her. Erza might be strict and harsh when dealing with people who tried to hurt her guild, but time and time again, she had also proved that she had a big heart to forgive people who showed remorse for the wrongdoings they did. Jellal could hardly feel surprised when Erza told him that she had forgiven her mother, and wanted to get to know more about her. And Erza put her thoughts into action, taking the initiative in visiting Irene regularly. Sometimes, she would ask Jellal to join her too.

With tender eyes, Jellal watched Irene gathering Erza's hair in one hand and tiring her tresses into a ponytail with a red string and them exchanging smiles through the mirror. He recalled the time the two women spent together in the past two years to build their new bond. It was a gradual process for Irene to accept that she could build a new relationship with her daughter; and it had taken effort from both mother and daughter to figure out what was the most comfortable way for them to interact with each other.

While witnessing the bond between Erza and Irene growing day by day, Jellal had inevitably reflected on how his own relationship with Erza had evolved over the years and the immeasurable time, effort and tears they had spent on making things work out between them. Sometimes, it made Jellal feel that fate was too harsh on Erza. She had to heal a broken man whom she loved and couldn't let go of, and then she had to heal a damaged woman she hardly knew but couldn't ignore because she was her mother. But he also knew that Erza had a heart of gold, that she had never felt regret of giving all of her to bring him and Irene back to her side. She had always believed in second chance and was so willing to offer any help she could offer when she thought they not only needed it, but also deserved it.

And Jellal would be forever grateful that Erza had entered his life and become his salvation, however selfish it sounded, considering all the pain he had caused her. All he could do to repay her was to promise her that he would cherish her and bring her happiness in the rest of his life.

Jellal realized that the ritual was nearing finish when Irene braided the tail of Erza hair with expert fingers and wrapped it around the base of the tail to form a hair bun.

"Erza, I wish your love with Jellal to last forever. I wish that you two will never be separated from each other again. I wish that your marriage will become the source of happiness and comfort in your everyday's life." She whispered her good wishes to Erza while she began looping a red ribbon around the hair bun. "I also wish you being blessed with as many lovely kids as you want to have."

Erza's face turned red instantly when hearing the last wish. Irene only smirked, and tied the ends of the ribbon into a bow above the hair bun, before securing two cypress tree leaves in the bun using bobby pins.

"Thanks for allowing me to perform this ritual on you." Irene placed a kiss on the top of Erza's head. "I love you."

"I love you too, mother."

Irene smiled and turned to Jellal. "Come over here, Jellal."

As instructed, Jellal moved to stand beside Irene. Irene took his hand and pressed the comb she had just used into his palm.

"Brushing their child's hair everyday when they are still young is something a mother will always enjoy doing. I have lost the chance to do it but I'm grateful that I'm able to do it for Erza before she gets married. Now, I pass this duty of brushing Erza's hair to you as her future husband. You shall not only treat her hair with care, but you shall also take care of her well-being. I wouldn't want to hear any complains about you from Erza and be forced to handle you myself."

"Even without your gentle reminder on the consequences, I will never mistreat Erza. I will make sure to make your wishes come true, Ms. Belserion." Jellal said firmly to Irene and looked straight into her eyes to show his determination, before averting his gaze to Erza and held her hand in his free one. "And it's my honour to be granted the right to be the private caretaker of her hair."

"Is brushing my hair everyday the thing you are actually aiming for from marrying me?" Erza asked Jellal teasingly.

"I can only say it's certainly one of the things I'm looking forward to doing everyday after tomorrow." Jellal grinned.

"I shall leave the room to give you some private times to flirt with each other. " Irene laughed. "But don't stay too late, Jellal. It will be a long day tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am."

Irene unhurriedly walked to the door in her elegant catwalk style. Before shutting the door closed, she gave one last glance at the inside of the room and smiled when seeing Erza and Jellal kissing.

* * *

A/N: In my culture there's truly a wedding rite that is relating to hairbrush to be performed on both the bride and the groom on the night before their wedding, and this oneshot is inspired by it. But the ritual mentioned in this fic is all my made-up and not real.


	3. June 8 - Dream

_Day 4 - Dream_

" _I'm very happy for both you and Erza that you have finally found the happiness you deserve." Ultear held Jellal's hands tightly between her palmes; her eyes looked like they were glistening with tears. She wore a white sundress Jella didn't remember seeing before, and smiled in the most carefree way he had ever seen from her._

Jellal slowly opened his eyes, and wondered " _Where's Ultear?"_ while he was still in his only half-wakening state. He tried to focus on and process his surroundings, despite the heaviness he felt from his head. The room was dim, being illuminated only by a few of sun rays that had successfully slipped through the gap between the light-shielding curtains. Its walls were all decorated with ribbons and balloons of different colours and, somehow, he knew without the need to look that on the wall above the bed's headboard hanged a banner read "Congratulations to the Newly-wed!"

He turned his head to his right side, and found Erza sleeping soundly beside him. Her red tresses had formed a shield that blocked half of her face from his view, while she hid the other half of her face in the pillow.

Without thinking too much if he would accidentally wake her up, Jellal lifted up the curtain of tresses and placed them down over Erza's right shoulder, and brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. She felt soft and warm. Real. When he withdrew his hand, his gaze landed on the silver ring on his left ring finger. He stroke the band with his thumb. Despite the asterisk pattern that had been carved onto its' surface, it still felt smooth against his fingertip.

"It really did happen." Jellal whispered to himself, before turning his gaze to Erza once again and recalling some of the memorable happenings on their wedding day.

It was their utmost honour to have Queen Hisui officiating their wedding ceremony held at the Fairy Tail's guild hall. When he said his wedding vow, the smile Erza gave him was the brightness, the prettiest one he had even seen, which filled his heart with unspeakable joyfulness.

He felt very grateful for the many blessings and congratulations received from their friends - mostly Erza's, for the kindness and also acceptance they showed him, and didn't feel he had said enough thank yous to them. Watching happy and grateful tears fell from Erza's eyes when she made her speech of thanks at the beginning of the lunch reception had made his eyes swell with tears too and his heart swell with emotions.

The evening party was relax but boisterous, being filled with light music, cheerful laughters and amiable chattings. Their first dance wasn't perfect without any missteps from Erza's part despite the countless practice they had previously. But he was too happy about marrying her and couldn't care less about the little pain she inflicted on his toes.

It was amazing how Erza could still make his heart race with anticipation even they had already seen and felt each other's bodies many times before, when she still looked at him with a bashful expression when he undressed her from the wedding dress. His new identity as Erza's husband - not merely a lover but a family to her - had filled his heart with a new contentment as he gave her all of him and more.

A part of him still felt that the wedding was such a surreal experience. Watching Erza sleeping at his side breathing steadily, Jellal placed his palm over his chest, and felt his heart beating a little quicker than usual. The blissfulness came from marrying Erza was such a solid and satisfactory feeling that had lodged in his heart; and it wasn't anything like the hollowness he usually felt after waking up from a dream. He knew Queen Hisui pronouncing them man and wife wasn't something happened in one of his dreams anymore, but was a dream-come-true.

The corners of his lips curved upward, and Jellal pressed a kiss on Erza's forehead.

"Jellal…" Erza stirred in her sleep.

Jellal couldn't help smiling hearing his name slipping from Erza's lips. He wondered what she was dreaming about him, while drinking in her nature beauty in her most peaceful and innocent state. The sight of her was something he could never get tired of seeing.

Erza blinked her eyes open after a few minutes. She yawned before her eyes found their focus on Jellal.

"Hey." She spoke softly with a timid smile, and cradled Jellal's cheek in her right palm.

"Hey. Good morning." Jellal held Erza's hand in his own - the one that had the new ring on the ring finger.

"Good morning. Hmm. You are real." Erza looked at Jellal with adoration and also relief, before the ring Jellal wore drew her attention away. She raised her left hand from under the blanket and looked at the identical ring she wore, before her eyes found Jellal's again. "And we have really married to each other. It's not something happened only in my dream, is it?"

Jellal grinned. "I know us getting married feels dreamy, but it's not a dream. Not anymore. You are now Mrs Fernandes for real, Erza."

"Good." Erza beamed in the same way - bright to his eyes and warm to his heart - that Jellal found had never failed to make his heart skip a beat. "I really like this new last name you give me, you know."

When Erza pulled his face towards hers, Jellal closed his eyes and felt their lips met in an affectionate kiss.


	4. June 10 - Homecoming

_Day 6 - Homecoming_

Erza breathed a sigh of relief when she sat down on the couch after bathing. Without her prompting, Jellal put down the book he was reading and took the towel she placed over her shoulder.

"What happened?" Jellal asked, while drying her wet hair using the towel.

"I just feel really refresh after taking the bath. The trip today was a little bit exhausting."

"It was. We could have reached home at least three hours earlier if the ferry service hadn't been interrupted by the rainstorm."

"I'm glad that at least we can come back to our home today." Erza looked at the clock. It was already half-past eleven. "If the rainstorm hadn't stopped before eight, the ferry service would have been postponed to tomorrow. In that case we would have to spend one more night at the resort."

"Wouldn't it be good to stay at the resort for one more night?" Jellal chuckled. "You've said their bed was the most comfy one you have ever slept in. I thought you really liked the resort and enjoyed the time spent there."

"I did. It's a perfect place for honeymoon vacation. Excellent facilities and services and basically everything. But I did start missing home."

Erza glanced round the living room, and recalled how both her and Jellal worked together on how they wanted to decorate the place: from the creamy yellow walls to the light violet window curtains; from the wooden dining table and chairs to the feather couch they were sitting on; from the framed photo of sunset to the water plant in grass bowl. Actually not only the living room but every rooms in the house were furnished in ways that were decided by them together.

"This house belongs to us, but it's also the home we belongs to as a family from now on." She shifted her position to face Jellal, smiling a sheepish smile. "I already feel attached to this house even we've just moved in for less than a month."

Jellal placed the towel down on the coffee table and cradled Erza's cheek in his palm instead, looking at her with wistful eyes.

"I think this feeling of attachment is still growing on me. This is a new experience to me, to actually settle down in one place without the need of moving from one place to another constantly. But I'm sure very soon I will get attached to spending time in this house with you by my side." He leaned forward and touched Erza's forehead with his. "Being with you are what home means to me."

"Jellal…" Erza whispered in a slightly trembling voice, before she closed her eyes and also the distance between her lips and Jellal's.

When she pulled away, she held Jellal's face in her hands.

"Promise me. You will always find your way back home no matter where your missions take you to. And you won't let any guilty feelings to try to lure you away from home."

"Nothing can take me away from you ever again, Erza. I promise."

Jellal's fingers found their way into Erza's tresses as he captured her lips with his, while Erza fell back onto the couch and pulled him down with her.


	5. June 11 - Complicated

_Day 7 - Complicated_

"You made this?" Erza looked between the star-shaped mango cheesecake on the table and Jellal with wide eyes. "I thought…...you said you were going to buy the cake from the Sweetheart's Bakery."

"I changed my mind because I wanted to give you a surprised gift. I know it doesn't look as perfect as the one made by Chef Carol. But I did my best and hope you would like the output."

"I do! Thanks for your effort, Jellal. The cake is perfect."

"You haven't even tasted it." Jellal chuckled. "Don't make your judgment too soon."

"It has to be good, made by you." Erza said confidently, before pressing her lips to Jellal's. "Happy Tanabata, Jellal."

"Happy Tanabata, Erza." Jellal replied the same after Erza pulled away from him.

"I've prepared a gift for you, too." Erza said; eyes shining with excitement. A rectangular object wrapped in a gift paper with blue and gold stripes appeared out of thin air in her opened palm as she summoned it from her requip space.

Jellal took his gift with both hands when Erza handed it over to him and said his thank you. The gift was slightly larger than an A4-size paper and was around half-inch thick, that it clearly looked like a book to him.

"Can I open it now?"

Erza nodded enthusiastically. "I hope you'll find it useful."

Jellal unwrapped the gift paper from one of the shorter sides of the rectangular gift, and pulled the inside content out. As he had expected, it was a book. A woman who had her brown hair braided in an intricate pattern had taken up most of the space on the book cover. At the top, the book title read " _Creative Hairstyling: An Advanced Guide_ ".

"Have you been feeling unsatisfied and bored with how I did your hair?" Jellal laughed softly.

"If I had I would have already told you directly." Erza crossed her arms on the table as she watched Jellal flipping the book with an interested look on his face.

"You are indeed always honest with what you think."

"I simply know how much you enjoy doing my hair and thought you will probably be interested in learning more new tricks."

"I don't mind doing your hair in the same hairstyle everyday if it's what you would like me to do for you. But the new designs do look quite attractive to learn." Jellal smiled fondly at Erza, already imagining how pretty she would look in one of the hairstyles presented in the book. "Thanks a lot for the gift, Erza. And for everything, too."

He closed the book and placed it down on the table before his hand reached for Erza's hair and swirled a few tresses with his fingers; an amused smirk gradually took residence on his lips. "And you certainly have faith in me to give me the advanced level ones to learn as a start."

Erza shrugged. "You are a quick learner. Besides, I thought you like complications when it comes to styling my hair, given how often you braid and twist my hair in ways I don't always get how they are possible. But," Erza paused and drew circles on the model featured on the books' cover with her finger, while glancing at Jellal with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "If you find this kind of hairstyle being too complicated for you to handle, I can certainly exchange this book for an intermediate or even a beginner guide for you."

"There's no such need. Challenge accepted." Jellal grinned. "It's going to be interesting to try out the more exquisite designs; although I think you will look gorgeous in any one of the hairstyles introduced in this book."

Erza blushed instantly. "Can we move from hairstyles to cake for a moment? I'm afraid that the cake is gonna melt soon under room temperature. I don't want your effort be wasted."

"Of course." Jellal kissed Erza's stresses before letting them slip passed his fingers. "Let met get us the plates and forks."


	6. June 12 - Bonus Day

_Day 8 - Confessions (Bonus day - free choice of theme)_

Erza heaved a deep sigh when lying down on her bed.

The day felt long to her. Actually the whole week felt long to her since she met Queen Hisui and related her message to Jellal. She trusted in the Queen for not merely using her to get Jellal's whereabouts to arrest him, when she told her she planned to pardon Jellal and his guild but wanted to meet him in person first to understand his case better. After all, Fairy Tail had assisted her in overcoming a few big crisis before. However, she couldn't help feeling increasingly anxious when neither the Queen nor Jellal had contacted her again after Jellal presumably went to the palace in secret under the escort of Arcadios four days ago. And when she tried to call Jellal, his phone wasn't connected.

She couldn't focus her mind on doing anything with the thought of Jellal being arrested instead and sent to death lurking at the back of her mind; even she had repeatedly told herself that it was unlikely to happen. She had forgotten to lock the backdoor when she did her regular night time patrol at Fairy Hills. She had let a beast open up a wound on her arm with its' claws when she was trying to slay it in her job. She hadn't stepped in to put a stop to the fights between Natsu and Gray like she usually did. Her friends - Lucy, Levy and Mira - had expressed concern on her unusual behavior. But she couldn't tell them anything due to confidentiality of the Queen's plan.

Even when Jellal was on the run, Erza hadn't felt as worried and as stressful as she was right now. With another day passed again without hearing any updates from the Queen or Jellal, the weight of the worry about her making the wrong decision to lead Jellal to the Queen increased on Erza's heart too. Holding her phone in both hands, she stared at the last call she made with Jellal on the phone screen as she recalled every words spoken between them. Tears pricked her eyes; and she tried to stop them from falling by shutting her eyes closed, but wasn't successful. Turning on her side, she curled up and allowed herself to sob quietly into the pillow.

It was the vibration Erza felt between her palms that made her eyes snapped open again. It was a private call without caller ID but she quickly pressed the answer button on the phone anyway.

"Hello?"

" _Erza..."_

"Jellal!" Erza sat bolt upright and felt her heart racing as she heard the voice of the man whom she had been missing for days.

" _Yes, it's me."_ Jellal answered softly; the gentleness of his voice was enough to make Erza feel like seeing him smiling up at her, also gently, in front of her eyes. " _I've been worried a little bit if I would wake you up to give you a call at this late hour. But my worry seems unnecessary given how quickly you picked up my call. "_

"I've gone to bed but haven't fallen into sleep yet." Erza couldn't stop a smile from forming on her lips as she wiped the tears away from her face with the back of her hand. "It's good to hear from you finally."

" _I'm sorry I couldn't give you a call earlier."_ Erza could picture the guilty look on Jellal's face in her head when he apologized. " _My phone has been taken away from me. The Queen wanted to be cautious and limit the chance of her plan being leaked to outsiders due to eavesdropping before it's ready for announcement."_

"This explains why your phone wasn't connected when I tried to call you. But I don't blame the Queen. Her concerns are understandable."

A moment of silence greeted Erza before Jellal's response came. " _Have you been…...crying, Erza?"_

"C-crying? Me?" Even Jellal couldn't see her, Erza hid her face in her palm, feeling embarrassed. "What make you think so?"

" _I thought I heard you sniffing. And you sounded choking a little. Is everything alright, Erza?"_

"I get a runny nose today, that's it." The last thing Erza wanted was to make Jellal feel bad about being the reason behind the tears she shed.

" _Did you get a cold or something?"_ Jellal sounded clearly concerned.

"No. I'm doing well." Their conversation shouldn't be about her. There was thing much more important than her runny nose that should be addressed in this late coming call from Jellal. "Tell me how things were going in your meeting with the Queen. I suppose you have good news to share with me given the Queen has finally given you the approval to make call?"

Erza heard Jellal taking a deep breath in and then exhaling. " _The Queen wanted to know every members' background and what Crime Sorciere means to us. I told her what happened to all of us in the Tower of Heaven and how we ended up taking the path of darkness, and how Crime Sorciere was formed and expanded to its current size and everything we did. The Queen said our conversation affirmed her that pardoning us was the right thing she should do. But she needed some time to make sure that her Cabinet would understand the intention behind her decision and give her their full support. She informed me this morning that she would pardon all members of Crime Sorciere without conditions like she has originally planned to. My members should be already on their way coming to the palace to receive the decree of pardon."_

"This is really great. Wonderful. I'm so happy for you and your guild, Jellal." Erza felt tears slowing returned to her eyes as an immense wave of relief washed over her. "Your members must be excited when they heard such news."

" _They don't know the Queen's decision yet. The Queen wanted to announce the news to them in person and also formally in front of her officials. So I only told them to not resist or hurt anyone and to not worry about their safety when the Queen's Squadron showed up and asked them to follow them to the palace."_

"They mustn't be happy that you refused to tell them the truth."

" _You know them well, Erza."_ Jellal chuckled. " _But it can't be helped. I must follow the Queen's order. They knew it too, but just decided to give me a hard time anyway."_

"I'm sure they won't mind you keeping things in secret anymore once they hear the announcement. I wish I could be with you too to hear it together to share this significant moment." Erza said wistfully. "When will it be?"

" _On Friday."_

"So in two days you will be a free man." Erza tightened her grip on the phone and paused as she drew in a quick breath. "You will be able to walk in the light, settle down and be with anyone you want to, without any worry of being arrested or causing troubles to people around you; if you want to."

Jellal's silence made Erza felt even more nervous; but she didn't feel disappointed or angry at him for not responding immediately. She didn't mean to push him to make decision at this moment. She simply wanted him to at least understand what she was hoping for after he was freed; to know that there was always a place in her life she only reserved for him, waiting for him to take.

" _Erza,"_ Erza's heart skipped a beat as she heard Jellal speaking her name with a yearning tone like he was saying a prayer. " _I have been thinking a lot since you told me the Queen would like to offer me pardon. I never really have a free will in deciding how to live my life since I was enslaved in the Tower of Heaven. I lose my freedom. I was brainwashed. Then I lost my memory and was put in the prison. And when I became a fugitive, the options I could choose from regarding what I could do was also very, very limited."_

It was like having her heart being stabbed when Erza listened to Jellal recounting how he had been living most part of his life beyond his control.

" _But once I'm freed, I can make my own choice. I need to. It's thrilling, but also a little bit frightening to think about, actually."_ Jellal chuckled weakly. " _What kind of life I want to live? This is a question I didn't allow myself to ponder on very often before because freedom seemed to be unreachable for a criminal and sinner like me. Yet, I knew in my heart that I already have the answer even I tried to not think about it. There's this scarlet haired girl I have been in love with since I was a child and it's my dream to be able to live a peaceful life with her together one day."_

Erza felt a lump form in her throat as tears slid down across her cheeks freely.

" _I didn't mean to make you cry."_ The soft tone Jellal took reminded Erza of the way he spoke to her when she lay beneath him on the beach on the day of their reunion after her return from Tenrou Island.

"I'm fine." It had taken a few moments and a few deep breaths for Erza to find back her voice. "You now have the chance to make your dream come true."

" _I really want to grasp this chance, Erza. However,"_ Erza held her breath and her heart sunk a little. " _There are questions I need to answer first to get myself ready to turn a new page in my life._

"Tell me more."

" _I've been walking the path of redemption for one-third of my life up till now, and I have never considered that there would be an end to it before. But now, I think I should try to conclude this journey if I'm to take another one._

" _I wonder how much I have achieved what I set to do when I first stepped my foot on such path. Have I really done enough to deserve the forgiveness and acceptance given to my from people whom I have hurt? Where is Crime Sorciere going, now that not only Zeref has gone but also that the Queen has offered us pardon? I know I won't be able to settle down with real peace in my heart if these questions remains unanswered."_

"How do you prepare to find the answers?"

" _I need to discuss with my members to see what they think about the future of Crime Sorciere. And no matter what kind of fate we decide for our guild in the end, I plan to spend some time on travelling around Fiore to meet people whom I have hurt, I owned favor to and I've helped. I think it'll help me to figure out what I have achieved and what I have missed in my searching of redemption, and if there are more things I can do."_

"It sounds like a reasonable plan. And I agree that it's the right thing you should do, looking for some closures. My only concern is how long it will take you to find the answers." Erza couldn't help sighing, even though she want to be supportive to Jellal. She had been used to waiting, and she knew no matter how long it would take for Jellal to come to her, she would wait. But it didn't mean that the waiting didn't hurt her sometimes.

" _I don't plan on searching indefinitely. I know I've made you wait for too long already. But please just give me one more year, Erza. When I go to you a year later, I'll make sure that I have come up with the answers to my questions, so that I may end my travel and stay."_

"I will give you a year, and more if you need it."

" _Thanks a lot, Erza. But one year is enough."_ It brought a smile to Erza lips as she heard Jellal's determination in keeping his promise.

"As much as I want to meet you sooner, I don't want you to push yourself too hard." She told him softly.

" _This sounds familiar."_ Jellal's voice was tinged with amusement. " _I'll be mindful to not overexert myself. Is there any more things you want to tell or ask me?"_

"Is it time for you go?"

" _Unfortunately yes. I have already made this call longer than I was supposed to and I afraid I may displease the Queen if she finds out."_

"Give me a call after the announcement of your pardon, will you?"

" _I will."_

"That's it from me." Erza lay back down on the mattress and relaxed. "What about you? Do you have any more things to tell me before you end this call?"

Jellal breathed deeply. " _I love you, Erza."_

Erza's heart pounded loudly against her chest, and she felt an overwhelming warmth surged through her whole being. "I love you too, Jellal."

Erza smiled fondly, and imagined Jellal doing the same when he fell into silence. It was truly a comfortable and satisfying moment for her to relish in, knowing that her heart and Jellal's were connected even they were miles apart physically. And so when Jellal's silence stretched, Erza thought she knew why he was reluctant in saying his goodbye. But for his sake, she knew they had to let it go.

"Don't let me keep you any longer. I don't want the Queen to change her decision because of this call."

 _"Yes. I should really go now."_ Jellal sighed. _"Good night, Erza."_

"Good night, Jellal."

Erza pressed the end-call button, and for the first time since she called Jellal seven days ago bringing him the hope of pardon, turned off her phone.


End file.
